Review, Report, Respond – a simple formula for change.
The construction industry faces challenges on a daily basis. Overcoming these challenges shows the industry’s ability to survive in an evolving marketplace. By taking a simple approach that involves Reviewing multinational companies outside the construction industry, Reporting on team progress and Responding through incremental improvements, positive change can lift construction performance and profitability. I met a war correspondent recently, well-weathered from his experiences. He described his greatest talent as getting out of tight spaces quickly and quietly – he backed it up by saying it was easier than what he saw construction companies manage – and often for prolonged periods. A war zone seemed finite compared with a construction business where the stress never ended.
He was exaggerating, but courage in the face of fire is hard to maintain. How many of our employees and contractors (or ourselves) shy away from tasks they may fail at (or not reach their target) through criticism if they didn’t succeed. It’s easier to keep your head low, avoid contact with the enemy and squirrel yourself away to survive.
The following are three ways to re-invigorate your construction business and remove the culture of ‘fear’ that stops innovation by reviewing, reporting and responding to market demand.
Step 1 Review multinational companies in industries other than construction
Construction can learn a lot from how other industries re-define themselves.
A Less from IBM
IBM, which celebrated its centenary in 2011, did not start out as the company it is today. It began its corporate journey making clocks, scales, cheese slicers, typewriters, vacuum tube calculators, magnetic tape, the first disk drive, the memory chip, FORTRAN, fractals, ATMs and mainframes before making a name for itself with mini-computers, personal computers, supercomputers, software and analytics.
Imagine what IBM may have become if innovation wasn’t at its core – namely a maker of kitchen gadgets based on its cheese-slicer origins. IBM’s example proves How To Renovate A House Yourself we shouldn’t define ourselves by what we make, but by the beliefs driving our organisations to maintain a service orientation that solves customers’ problems.
For IBM the PC was an innovation in 1981, touching tens of millions of people, but twenty years later IBM’s differentiation was limited, particularly with hybrid computers flooding the market.
As a result, continual forward movement remains part of IBM’s business model – its value proposition to create and provide innovative solutions for clients being the company’s core vision. But it’s the translation of that core vision into action over the past 100 years that has kept the company alive through a culture driven by its beliefs and values.
Never Define Yourself By What You Do Today
IBM’s chairman and CEO, Sam Palmisano says, “Because the frontier of what is truly innovative keeps moving, that compels us not to sit still. It is a constant reminder never to define ourselves by the things we make, no matter how successful they are today…”
Palmisano sacked 10,000 employees in 2009 …
I don’t know about you, but I can tell you that for me, getting started on a construction project can be a stressful time. You can ease up into it or jump onto it with both feet, or dither along for years always promising yourself that you will start when you have all the bases 100% covered. The best way to reduce the stress of starting a project is to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. My intent is to familiarize you with the basic requirements of getting started and hopefully reduce the jitters of starting a new project.
Most people purchase vacant land because they are planning to build their dream home on it, in near future. However, that’s not the only motive for buying a piece of vacant land. It can turn out to be a great investment and you can use it for commercial purposes as well. In some cases, land investment proves to be better than investing in built properties, as it relieves you of duties like having home inspection, checking for the quality of material used in construction, or going through the chores of home renovation in case of old buildings. Nevertheless, purchasing vacant land for any of the above mentioned purposes (personal use or investment) is not that simple. You’re ought to take care of the following aspects.
The first thing you should consider when you move on to the plot is the site strip. You will need to hire a JCB & driver for the day to carry out this work if it is not included within the Groundwork’s Sub-Contract package.
Individuals working on construction sites are often given extensive training on the use of power tools, heavy machinery, and vehicles used in the demolition and construction of buildings roadways, overpasses, and other projects. They are often required to attend safety instruction classes and are given instruction by individuals who have experience with the tools required to complete the duties required to build the structure.
As more employees work from home or do significant portions of their work in the home environment, home offices are becoming increasingly popular. While it is simple to convert an unused room into an office, for some this may not be enough space, nor is a general environment always appropriate for a given job. Similarly, many homes builders must consider floor space and may not be able to easily accommodate a large office.
A compiler from the user’s perspective is a software that reads input source files and compiles them. The output of the compiler